New puppy adjusting to new area

[jerryj]

I welcomed a 13 week old female named Nika into my household yesterday! I am very excited for her to be here, however she does not seem as excited. Nika would not leave her crate she was very rattled from the flight. after a couple hours i pulled her out being as gentle as i could. she had peed in the crate and i didn't want her staying in there. she has been very reserved and fearful of me approaching. this apprehension is making everything more difficult. she will follow me outside but it is a very drawn out process. she is afraid passing through doorways often doubling back in unsure nature. She has also done a great deal of wining, I am thinking this is due to separation from the litter. early today she encountered my neighbors pit bull, nothing happened but Nika is in a panic, this is the first time she has barked. She was so afraid she was shaking and barking, even now as i am consoling her she is panting and out of breath. what can i do to get Nika to come out of her shell and settle in?

[Dutchringgirl]

Welcome! Wow, poor little thing. Did she come directly to you from the breeder?

[Christie M]

I'm sorry for the difficulties that you are having.

Tell us a little more about your girl. Where did she come from? What do you know about her parents?

Just like people, some dogs are confident and some aren't. Luckily, just being a baby, she has lots of time for socialization. Everyday will probably show you wonders of changes and strides forward.

That being said, I wouldn't push it for a few days. Let her take in her surroundings. Its always tempting to show the world your new dog, but typically its not good for the dog. Let her have a few days with just you, with minimal distraction to figure out the schedule there. Then introduce things as they come up. Honestly, depending on the breeder, we don't know how much socialization she got early on and lord only knows how her flight went.

Make sure anything and everything is a cookie machine and take it slow. It takes a good 2 weeks for dogs to settle in and show you their true personality. If its possible, talk to her breeder as they may have some insight too!

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[Lauren]

Poor baby. I am sorry she is having so much anxiety about the change. I know it is hard to see. I would not pet and console her for being fearful. It will only reinforce her fearful behavior. As she works through her own fears she will start to overcome them.

As hard as it may be I would try to ignore her fear reactions for the most part. Be upbeat and go about your business. Dutchies are so very aware of every little change or nuance that if she grew up in just a kennel situation, it may take a while for your world to make sense to her at all.

If you can get her to play with anything at all, it will help her come out of her shell. Will she take a treat? How does she respond if you attach a leash to her and to you?

Also, when you and your home are ok to her she needs to get out and about. The big socialization period ends at 15-16 weeks, I think. So you need to get her exposed to anything that she is to consider "normal" before then.

I would love to see a picture of her!

[Christie M]

Poor baby. I am sorry she is having so much anxiety about the change. I know it is hard to see. I would not pet and console her for being fearful. It will only reinforce her fearful behavior. As she works through her own fears she will start to overcome them.

As hard as it may be I would try to ignore her fear reactions for the most part. Be upbeat and go about your business. Dutchies are so very aware of every little change or nuance that if she grew up in just a kennel situation, it may take a while for your world to make sense to her at all.

If you can get her to play with anything at all, it will help her come out of her shell. Will she take a treat? How does she respond if you attach a leash to her and to you?

Also, when you and your home are ok to her she needs to get out and about. The big socialization period ends at 15-16 weeks, I think. So you need to get her exposed to anything that she is to consider "normal" before then.

I would love to see a picture of her!

Great advise!

[CaroleBoaz]

even now as i am consoling her she is panting and out of breath. what can i do to get Nika to come out of her shell and settle in?

You got great advice already. I just want to reinforce that "consoling" is not the thing to do. As said previously, if you console her when she is stressed, that communicates that she has every reason to feel stressed. Sometimes it's best to just ignore behavior that is not wanted and reward the correct behavior. Actually, that's what I do almost all of the time!

I hope she comes around soon and you will have happy puppy photos to post for us. The good thing is she is young and you have time to work with her.

[jerryj]

How do I expand her trust? she follows me and is aware that I am trying to care for her, she doesn't seem to be totally at ease though.

yes she came from a breeder. My roommate adopted a male from the same breeder a year ago, and he was much more receptive to his new home. The circumstance may have been different since Nika has had more time to spend with other pups. As of right now she is being overly cautious of me. I have been able to place a collar on her, which hasn't changed her temperament. Nika will not play with toys or take treats when I reward her for doing something correct (going potty outside). Just getting her outside to do her business is a chore and I feel I am having to push to much. I put her in her crate for an hour while I ran errands today, when i returned she had pooped in the crate. To be expected she was very animated. I have since cleaned everything to remove odors. She was very timid, knowing I wasn't happy with her. I have ignored this and stayed calm to prevent further withdrawal.

I appreciate all of the good advice, I feel as if I am in over my head. I have experience around DS and know how they are capable of behaving (that is why I love them and have one!).

Any further solutions, or information that you need from me is encouraged.

Just so everyone is aware, I currently live alone. No other pets in the household.

[Dutchringgirl]

Time.. Just give her time. If she messed in the crate, dont show any emotion. For what ever reason she it shy, timid or what ever she is feeling, dont make her feel bad, intentional or not. She is tiny and young. Go about what ever you do around the house and just let her find her way, she will, in time. Maybe just put a cookie on the floor near you and let her come get it. She will, in her own way, learn and see that life with you will be great. Dont force her. It may be a long, frustrating road but you both will be happy.

[CaroleBoaz]

She was very timid, knowing I wasn't happy with her. I have ignored this and stayed calm to prevent further withdrawal.

Try not to communicate any displeasure. I've gotten good at that, and cleaned up a lot of poo in my days. Even with older dogs there are accidents.

I recently fostered a rescue who was very scared, I thought he was going to bite me. The first night he sat in the kitchen where he could see me and the other dogs doing our daily routine, and I totally ignored him. He gradually became friendly, very friendly.

Give her some time and stay upbeat. If you are upset, do not look at her. Staring is confrontational with dogs. Soon you will be her best friend.

[Christie M]

The reality is, if this is not the pup that you want, then you have every right to speak to the breeder and convey that. If you want to compete in something and go places, then maybe she isn't the best match. Or, if you did say that you just want a nice companion, maybe they placed the pup that is unworkable in your hands. I'm not trying to be callous. All babies deserve a chance and there is a good home for every single one of them - even if breeders have to suck it up and "place" the not-so-perfect ones. But selling a puppy with expectations is completely wrong in my opinion. If she hasn't settled within 48 hours then she would not be the working puppy that I would want. But I don't know your goals or your situation with the breeder.

[Schlussdibusti]

She is 13 weeks, aren't breeders sending their pups off to new homes around 8 weeks? Nika might have been already in another home and experienced hell. You will never know for sure.
If you can work this out and gain her trust, you will have the most loyal companion ever.
Is there another puppy she can play with? This would be very relaxing for her and you would see more of her personality.

[Lauren]

Hey Jerryj, How is your little one doing now? I hope that she is coming right around and biting your ankles!

[jerryj]

Thank you everyone for sharing your wisdom and experience!

Shlussdibusti she stayed with the breeder longer due to lack of demand.

Update on Nika
She is making progress slowly. I have taken away her dishes, strictly hand feeding her and she is warming up, being more receptive of praise. I have also started crating her for short periods through the day, focusing on her behavior when she is out. She seems to be responding well to this, when I let her out I am the hero. She is starting to pick up on the routine of going outside and realizing that I expect her to do her business in this time. Her stools have improved as far as consistency. Nika is still a little confused though, if i don't take her outside at the right time she crawls into her crate and messes. Does she realize not to go in the house? it seems she does, but the crate is not an option. how to combat this? I am not upset about it I just don't want a habit to form, that is her zone/bed. She is adjusting to the leash but I am having to push/tug her out of her comfort zone, new progress everyday, reluctantly exploring. I think in a couple of days she will be ready for more social environments.

Lauren yes she is getting curious about feet, I make a point of it to have a chewable item in arms reach to avert her attention. I am all for her licking and sniffing often making sure she has an opportunity to do so, just trying to minimize the aggressive nature toward people, she is rather submissive. I know that goes against the typical DS temperament. If it works great if not I will love her the same.

[Drizlaru]

It's probably going to take her a few weeks to acclimate to her new environment and rules. Take it slow, no corrections, only pure positive reinforcement. If your not familiar with marker training, there's some good info at http://leerburg.com/?set=1.

As it's been said a few times here, don't reinforce the bad behavior of being fearful by coddling her and trying to console her. You will only reinforce it, ignore it instead. Your attention and praise are big motivators for new puppies, they like to see you smile, and be happy with their actions. After being with you for only a week, she's getting an idea of what you want, and what you like and dislike. It will take time for her to figure out everything.

Instead of pulling or tugging her into doing things that you ask, try motivating her with your voice and food or a toy instead. Get down on her level, and be silly, coax her out. She will learn how to deal with stress, she will trust in her own abilities, and you as a leader to keep her safe. Any bad experiences she has for the next month or so can stay with her for a very long time, even the rest of her life.

No dog parks, period. Don't forget to get her to a vet for a good checkup in the next few days. Puppy shots need to be started, and a general baseline needs to be established. Have her stools checked for worms and giardia. (It's horrible, but some breeders don't bother deworming!)

[Dutchringgirl]

Even if you are keeping her in the crate, make sure you take her out often enough that she knows she will be going out and she must hold it. I used to set a timer for every half hour, then as Sadie got older it would go to 45 minutes and so on. Take her out then put her right back into the crate, she then may see that she will go out.